
Class. 
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430 R&v. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 



Art. IV.— rev. THOMAS BACON— 1745-1768, 

Incumbent of St. Peter's, Talbot Co., and All Saints, Fred- 
erick Co., Maryland. 

Mr. Bacon was a man, who, in his day, occupied a very- 
promising position in the public eye, and has left memorials of 
himself, which will secure his name from being forgotten, for 
generations yet to come. But these memorials are becoming, 
as years pass on, less and less known, even to the lovers of the 
past. It is due therefore to his memory, standing so high and 
so fair as he did, both in the Church and in the civil commu- 
nity, that he should be more widely and permanently known, 
especially in the State of his adoption, whose history must be 
forever indebted to him, beyond that of any other one who has 
ever lived within its borders. 

Mr. Bacon was a nativ^ of the Isle of Man, an island in the 
Irish Sea, about equi-distant from England, Scotland and Ire- 
land, which forms part of the Diocese of the Bishop of Sodor 
and Man. He must have been born not far from the year 
1700, and was of good lineal descent, being the brother of Sir 
Anthony Bacon, Of his early education, we have learned 
nothing. But so early as 1737, he had published a volume, 
by order of the chief Commissioners and Governors of the rev- 
enue of the Kingdom. This is said to have been a laborious 
and judicious work, entitled a "Complete System of Revenue 
in England." This fact may show us that, up to this period, 
he had been engaged in civil pursuits, that he had become fa- 
vorably known to the public, and that he had attained some 
years in life's manhood. He at this time appears to have re- 
sided in the City of Dublin. 

Having at length passed through various scenes in life, ex- 
perienced various turns of fortune, travelled through many 
countries, and laden with the knowledge of books and men, 
[see Med. Gaz. Sept. 1768,] he came, ripe in age, to the decis- 
ion of giving himself to his Master's cause in a Missionary life, 



/ 

1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 431 

in some one of England's Foreign Colonies. He then became the 
pupil of the pious and celebrated Bishop Wilson, of the Dio- 
cese just mentioned. Having completed his studies, he was 
admitted to Holy Orders by him, (as is shown in the London 
and Oxford edition, 1853, of his Sacra Privata,) being ordain- 
ed by him Deacon, Sept. 23, 1744, at Kirk Michael, by per- 
mission of the Lord Bishop of London, for a Missionary and 
Priest, March 10, 1745, in order to go to the Plantations. 

Soon after this, he received the appointment of Chaplain to 
Lord Baltimore, whose ancestors and himself, for forty years 
past, had been Protestants, and then sailed for Maryland. 
Early in the October following, he had reached Oxford, in Tal- 
bot County, on the Eastern Shore, having with him his wife 
and son. Mr. Henry Callister, a merchant, was then residing 
there, who was also from the Isle of Man, and Mr. Bacon 
brought him letters from his friends of that Island, which se- 
cured for him a most welcome reception. 

From Mr. Callister's letter-book, now in the writer's posses- 
sion, we have copies of letters, in which Mr. Bacon is often 
mentioned. In one to Mr. William Tear, of Douglass, a small 
sea-port in the Isle of Man, dated Nov. 5, 1745, he writes 
thus : — 

" I shoukl have passed for a tip -top musician, if the Rev. Mr. Ba- 
con had not come in, and handed me your letter, and some others 
from Douglass. Immediately, on Landing, he found the way to our 
house, and staid with me about half a day. He has been to see us 
several times since. And at our parish Church, [St. Peters, the old 
Church at Whitemarsh,] he has given us several Sermons. * * * 
He is a very agreeable companion, and a sober and learned man. His 
performance on the violin and violincello, has aflforded us much de- 
light, and his conversation as much. I have a pretty set of music, 
and he has a better. We have a brute of a parson here, in our parish, 
and the Vestry and people would gladly turn him out, to make room 
for Mr. Bacon, but the latter will not be concerned, as he compassion- 
ates the other's misfortunes. We shall however prevail on him, at 
last, to accept a good salary. The ordinary salary would not be 
much, but the extraordinary subscriptions which he would get, if he 
would stay with us, would be worth his while. He has, in a very lit- 
tle time, got the esteem of our best people. He is still a neighbor, 
but I am afraid he will leave us, as soon as a vacancy in some other 
part of the province offers for him." 

Of the sainted Herbert, who died only ten years previous to 



432 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

this, it is said, his chiefest recreation was music, in wliich 
heavenly art he was a most excellent master, and did himself 
compose many hymns and anthems, which he set and sung to 
his lute or viol. He would often say, religion does not banish 
mirth, but only moderates and sets rules to it. In this respect, 
Bacon was like Herbert. And though some, now-a-days, look 
upon the use of the viol with no little horror, 3'ot his love of 
music will not be set down as a fault, or as necessarily detract- 
ing from the most earnest piety and devotion. 

The " brute of a Parson," mentioned by Mr. Callister, soon 
after this left the Parish. He was not, however, the incum- 
bent, or Kector of it, but the Hector's Curate, employed to re- 
lieve him, under the infirmities of his old age. On leaving 
here, this Curate was appointed the incumbent of St. Marga- 
ret's, Westminster parish, in Ann Arundel County ; the par- 
ish between Baltimore and Annapolis. Here he continued 
some five years, and then was presented to Coventry parish, 
Somerset County. His character has come down to us, as that 
of an unblushing diunkard and gambler, whose end is said to 
have been according to his work, — he died in jail ! being there 
for debt, and none were found to help him. Happily for the 
Church of Maryland, before the Kevolution, the like were rare ; 
while the Hendersons, the Cradocks, the Brogdens, and others 
like them, formed the great majority, and stood up manfully 
for Grospel truth and holiness. But most unhappy was it for 
the Church, that Maryland should have had a Governor — a 
Protestant — who twice, by virtue of his office, placed such a 
man as was this curate, in the charge of souls. No wonder 
that Pope should have held him up to scorn and ridicule as he 
did. 

Just one week after Mr. Callister wrote as above, he wrote 
to his brother in Douglass, in which he says : — 

"I received with pleasure yours of the 18th of June, which was 
handed me by the Rev. Mr. Thomas Bacon, whom I am in great hopes 
we shall retain among us. He is very much esteemed by the best of 
our people, and almost universally, he is esteemed a clever fellow, and 
I believe a good man ; we have had several concerts together. * * * 
He is received as curate of this parish, and is allowed by the Parson, 
who is now an invalid, 20,000 lbs. of tobacco per annum, with per- 



1865.] Rev. TJiomas Bacon. 433 

quisites', which may amount to 5, or 6,000 more, which is a veiy good 
living, [being near .$600.] And when the old parson dies, which he will, 
in a very little time, I hope he will get the berth. It is al)0ut 50,000 
lbs. of Tobacco per annum, which is worth in this country, one year 
with another, 500/. paper money, or ^£250 sterling ; [81,080.] And 
as "parsons are allowed to trade with their tobacco, if he will ship it to 
England, it may produce as mucli more per annum." 

Mr. Bacon had now thus become the Curate of the parish ; 
was esteemed by those whose esteem was worth having, and held 
to be a sober, learned, and good man, and very agreeable. So 
speaks Mr. Oallister. The parson of the parish mentioned was 
the Eev. Daniel Maynadin. He had been the incumbent of 
the parish for more than thirty- two years. He was by birth a 
French Protestant,' but had taken Orders in the Church of 
England. Late in this very year he died, leaving sons and. 
daughters, whose descendants still remain and occupy a high 
social condition. As Mr. Callister had hoped, Mr. Bacon suc- 
ceeded to the incumbency of the parish, and his ministry proved 
most acceptable. The congregation, during this his first year, 
so increased, that the vestry found it necessary to enlarge the 
Church, by an addition of nearly one half. On the 21st of 
Aug., 1746, Mr. C, in writing to Mr. William Henderson, the 
King's officer at Ramsay, another town in the Isle of Man, 
says to him : — 

" I presume you have been acquainted, in the Island, with Mr. 
Thomas Bacon. He is now our parson, and I think liini the worthiest 
clergyman I ever knew, not excepting the Bishop [Wilson]." 

To his 1 rother, at the same date, he writes : — 

" Jlr. Bacon has, since my last, been inducted into the parish, and 
gives entire satisfaction to all bis parishioners." 

One month after this, he writes to the same, — "Mr. and Mrs. 
Bacon desire their compliments to you. Mr. Bacon lives now 
in Town, [Oxford,] next door but one to our house." The 
parish had indeed a large glebe near by tlie Church, at which 
the former incumbent resided. But it is not unlikely that 
from its isolated condition, and Mr. B.'s social turn he found 
Oxford more to his liking, though six miles distant. 

On the 20th of Nov., writing again to Mr. Tear, — " I showed 
Mr. Bacon your letter," he says. " He expressed much satis- 

voL. XVII. 37 



434 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

faction in being so lionoraLly mentioned. I cannot at this 
time promise to send you any of Mr. Bacon's music, [for he 
was a composer as well as a performer,] but I sluill, I expect, 
send you some by the next opportunity." 

Previous to Aug. 1747, Mr. Callistcr had removed from Ox- 
ford to the head of the Wye, some twenty-four miles distant, 
quite in the northern part of the county, and Mr. Bacon had 
removed to a place called Dover, twelve miles or more distant. 
On the 23d, Mr. C. writes to his brother, — " Mr. Bacon and 
his family are well, and in great esteem. Since I removed up 
here, they are removed from Oxford about twelve miles nearer 
me. I had the pleasure to entertain them, on the first of March 
last, at Oxford, when Mr. B. toasted you ; and Mrs. B. ex- 
pressed, with tears of gratitude, some little obligations they 
owed you." She had left the loved home of her youth, braved 
the dangers of the ocean, and was now dwelling in a far distant 
and comparatively wilderness land, vrhere, in places not far off, 
was still the lingering haunt of savages. 0, it is no wonder, 
when her thoughts were borne homeward, as they now were, 
that tears should come thus, at the recollection of kindnesses 
bestowed by those she loved there in days past. It was not 
the overflowing of any sickly sensibility. 

Here Mr. Callistcr's letter-book, kindly furnished me by the 
Goldsboroughs of Myrtle Grove, fails us ; but among his pa- 
pers yet remaining, are found a number of short notes, on busi- 
ness matters, addressed him by Mr. Bacon in his own hand 
writing. One among them is this : — 

" Dear Harry, 1 was not at home when your inessenger came or re- 
turnetl, — else should have performed your commands. This is to sum- 
mon you and Mrs. Callister to attend, according to promise, at my 
house-warming. Should be glod if Mr. and Mrs. Emerson would hear 
you company. Yours, T. BACON. 

22d Jan. 1748. 

Ilis Excellency, of Oxford, will be here, with the facetious and 
merry magistrate Captain. Fail not to obey this summons, as you 
will answer the contrary at your peril." 

At this time, he had become settled at his new home, Dover, 
and thus called his friends around him to celebrate the event. 
It shows his buoyancy of spirits then, but we may well sup- 



1865.] Rcv- Tliomas Bacon. 435 

pose, from his known character, that the house-warming spoken 
of did not mean the frolic so usual on such occasions. 

But we come now more directly to his work in preaching to 
his people. In the preface to a small volume of Sermons, 
puhlished two years after this, he thus addresses his parish- 
ioners : — 

" Upon being appointed your minister, I began seriously and care- 
fully to examine into the state of religion in the parish, and I found a 
great many poor negro slaves, belonging to Christian masters and 
mistresses, yet living in as profound ignorance of what Christianity 
really is, as if they had remained in the midst of those barbarous, hea- 
then countries, from whence they or their parents were first imported. 
Being moved therefore with compassion, at seeing such numbers of 
poor souls wandering in the mazes of sin and error, as sheep having no 
shepherd, no kind, tender-hearted Christian to set them right, and 
considering them as a part of the flock which Almighty God had 
placed under my care, I began seriously to consider in what manner I 
could best discharge my duty towards them, and deliver my own soul 
from the guilt of their blood, lest they should perish through my neg- 
ligence. 

My first attempts towards it consisted in occasional conversation 
and advice, as often as I happened to meet with any of them at my 
own house, or at a neighbor's, or upon the road, etc., and, in short, fa- 
miliar exhortations, as opportunity brought a number of them together, 
at any quarter where I visited their sick, or at their funerals or mar- 
riages. I then determined to preach to them on particular Sundays 
or holy days." 

In carrying out this determination, he preached, this year, 
two Sermons to " a congregation of black slaves," and puh- 
lished them, just as they were heard. They were printed in 
London. They were intended, simply, as a draught, or found- 
ation of his future discourses to them, which would be only 
larger explanation of the jiractical duties which he had here 
but little more than hinted at. And one reason given for their 
publication, as he states, was, that possibly " it might raise a 
spirit of emulation among his brethren, to attempt something 
in their respective parishes towards the bringing home so great 
a number of wandering souls to Christ. In setting this scheme, 
for the better instruction of the negroes, on foot in my parish, 
I consulted nothing but conscience, and had no other view 
than the discharge of that duty I so solemnly took upon me, 
at my being admitted into holy Orders." To bring souls home 



436 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

to Christ tlms, — this was liis object, and such was the spirit 
and the manner in wliich he began and prosecuted tlie work. 

Of these two Sermons, the text is, Eph. vi : 8. And he con- 
siders, first, why they ought to serve God ; secondly, wliat ser- 
vice or good things, God expects from them ; and tlien 
what kind of reward they may expect to receive from Him. 
And it is certainly not too much to say, that each point is set 
forth plainly, faithfully, and earnestly, and exhibits an admira- 
ble example of coming down to the capacities of those whom 
he was addressing, without vulgarity, and of reaching the con- 
science with sound gospel truth. 

In a note to Mr. Callister, of May 3, 1748, from Dover, he 
mentions not only his wife and son, but also the Chapel. This 
is the first mention of the old Chapel w^hich we meet with, 
which had just then been erected, in the North East part of 
the parish, called Chapel Hundred. Its erection shows us 
that the attendance on his public services had so increased, at 
this time, as to require this additional provision. The remains 
of this Chapel still exist. But where is the spirit of its 
founder fled, that nothing but those remains exist ? Are there 
no souls to be brought to Christ in that neighborhood, and 
provided for in this late day, by the Church in that parish ? 

But Mr. Bacon did not stoj) in his work in behalf of the 
slaves, with what he had thus far done. During the year 
1749, he preached four Sermons to Masters and Mistresses, 
which were published in London the next Summer. In 1817, 
they were republished here, in a cheap form, by the late Bishop 
of Virginia, then the Kev. Dr. Meade, leaving out, however, 
the title page, the very valuable preface, and some other por- 
tions ; in one place to the amount of six pages ; and this, too, 
without a single hint of any such omissions. Why this was done, 
of course we do not know ; but that it was just to the author, 
no one can hesitate to deny. The Volume, as at first published, 
was a small 12mo., with this title i«ige : — 

" Four Sermons, upon the great and indispensible duty of all Christ- 
ian Masters and Mistresses, to bring up their negro slaves in the 
knowledge and fear of God, preached at the parish Church of St. Pe- 
ter's, Talbot County, in the Province of Maryland, by the Rev. 
Thomas Bacon, Rector of said Parish," &c. 



1865.] Rev. Xhomas Bacon. 437 

Having mentioned, in his preface, what he had felt it to he 
his own duty to do, in this work, and spoken of its greatness 
and of its difficulties, he tells us that ho found he must have 
help ; and this, he adds, — 

" Put me upon considering where laborers might he had And find- 
ing, upon the strictest and most impartial inquiry, that it is the indis- 
pensible duty of all masters and mistresses, to bring up their slaves 
in the knowledge and fear of God, I was determined to call in assist- 
ance froui where it was due. I therefore, as steward, and in the name 
of the Lord of the harvest, do press and invite you to work in His 
Vineyard, and do promise, on His part, that whatsoever is right, what- 
soever is just and equal, that shall ye receive." 

After meeting some objections, learnedly and successfully, 
he says, " that negroes, being of the human species, have souls 
as well as we, and are equally capable of salvation. Christian 
duty, therefore, would require of us to endeavor their conver- 
sion, and labor for the good of their souls, though they did 
not belong to us. Much more, then, are we bound to this 
duty, as they are part of our families and substance, and ab- 
solutely under our power and direction." 

And he takes occasion to say, in this connection, that, — 

" The bringing of children to Baptism is, in the office [tlierefor], 
called a charitable work, because the putting of souls in the way of 
salvation is the highest act of Christian charity. This charitable 
work is, plainly, a i)ranch of the duty of all owners of slaves, who 
ought either to appear for them in person at the font, or provide suffi- 
cient god-fathers and god-mothers for them in Baptism. These are 
called sureties, because they give security, in the presence of God and 
the congregation, that the member brought by them to be received 
into Clirist's Church, shall be taught all things which a Christian 
ought to know, and believe, to his soul's health, and shall be virtu- 
ously brouglit up, to lead a godly and a Christian life. Every mem- 
ber thus received, becomes a debtor to that Covenant, to the belief 
and practice of God's laws. And the god-fathers and god-mothers 
are in the nature of bond-men to the Church, for the due performance 
of them. And if it be your duty to bring your slaves into covenant 
with God, as it was formerly the duty of Jewish masters to bring 
theirs into covenant witli Him, by circumcision, which surely cannot 
admit of any dispute, you ought, at least, to provide sufficient sure- 
ties for them at the font, if you care not to appear for them in person. 
And you must, in your hearts and consciences, acquit me from any 
ill-natured charge of stiffness or preciseness, if, in pursuance of my 
duty to God, and the Church, whose minister I am, I shall always in- 

VOL. XVII. 37* 



438 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

sist on properer securities for tliese poor slaves, limn such as coui- 
monly offer among themselves." 

We cannot but ask licre, why all this, and mucli more, in 
the six pages before alluded to, on this point, was left out in 
the edition of 1817 ? 

The text which forms the ground-work of these four Ser- 
mons, is Col. iv : 1. — " Masters, give unto your servants that 
which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in 
heaven." After an exceedingly appropriate introduction, in 
which is considered the great })rinciple of the text, Mr. Bacon 
lays down the particular obligation drawn from it, announced 
in the title page, and then goes on to consider, first, the nature 
of this obligation ; secondly, the advantages attending a due 
compliance therewith ; thirdly, the common excuses and objec- 
tions which are made concerning it ; and lastly, in what manner 
this duty may best be performed, to the discharging of our con- 
sciences, and with the greatest probability of success. 

The consideration of these four points, occupies his four 
Sermons. To say that his language, in discussing them, is 
classical, yet plain ; his thoughts fresh, yet clear ; his positions 
sustained ably and conclusively, and sometimes eloquently ; 
and that the Gospel is distinctly and faithfully presented ; and 
all with the most intrepid, yet affectionate and Christian spirit, 
— is saying only what is true, simply true. 

" great aud glorioas Lord, pour forth thy Holy Spirit into our 
hearts, that our affections, being fixed on the performance of that 
which Thou commandest, aud our endeavors lor propagating the Gos- 
pel being guided and assisted by its blessed influence, Thy kingdom 
may be exalted among us, and the heathen taught to praise Thy holy 
name, through faith in Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and 
Redeemer." 

Such are the concluding words with which Mr. Bacon parts 
with those whom he addresses in these Sermons. 

Immediately, on their being published, they were placed in 
the list of books for distribution, by the Society for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge, in England, and, not long since, were con- 
tinued on that list. And would that they were here, and now 
again re-printed, in a beautiful style, with attractive binding, 
and placed in the hands of every master and mistress in our 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 439 

land. They would speak to their hearts and consciences, as no 
other little work of the kind Jias yet spoken. Can no one, in- 
deed, be found to do this ? Why, having the im])rimatur of 
the Society above mentioned, may not our Church Book Soci- 
ety do it ? or why, having the testimony given it by the late 
Bishop of Virginia, may not the Evangelical Knowledge So- 
ciety do it ? Why ? 

But the poor colored slaves were not the only class in his 
parish which enlisted Mr. Bacon's interest, and engaged his 
attention. Under date of July 14, 1750, we have a subscrip- 
tion paper, headed thus : — 

" Whereas, profaneness and debaucbery, idleness and immorality, 
are greatly owing to a gross ignorance of tbe Christian religion, and 
to sloth and idleness, especially among the poorer sort in this prov- 
ince — and whereas, many poor people are very desirous of having 
their children taught, etc., — we, whose names are underwritten, do here- 
by promise and agree to pay, yearly, etc., for setting up a Charity 
Working ScJiool, in the parish of St. Peter's, in Talbot County, for 
maintaining and teaching poor children to read, write, and account, 
and in instructing them in the knowledge and practice of the Christian 
religion, as taught in the Church of England," etc. 

And so diligent had Mr. Bacon been in this matter, that at 
a meeting of the subscribers at the parish Church, on the 29 th 
of September, he had obtained annual subscriptions amountino- 
to $284, and donations of $164 more. Trustees were then 
elected. 

On the 14th of October, he preached a Sermon for its ben- 
efit, from Gal. vi : 10 ; on which, after an admirable introduc- 
tion, he considers, first, the nature and extent of Christian 
Charity. And having stated in what it consists, he says : 

" For the proof of this, we need only cast our eyes upon the life of 
the holy Jesus, our great pattern and exemplar, who went about doin^- 
good, and healing all manner of infirmities. His first, great worlT, 
was that of the salvation of men's souls : — yet we find, that of the 
multitudes who came to him, laboring under sickness, or disorders, he 
never omitted one opportunity of doing good to their bodies — and that 
he also administered assistance to the poor in money, is plain from 
several passages of his life." 

And pursuing this point, he adds : — 

•' In its nature, it is pure and disinterested, remote from all hopes or 



440 Bev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

views of worldly return, or rccoinpcnce from the persons we relievo — 
we are to do good and lend, liopintr for nothing again. In its extent, 
it is unlimited and universal, and though it re<juires that an csi)eeial 
regard he had to our fellow Christians, is confined to no persons, coun- 
tries, or places, but takes in all mankind — strangers, as well as rela- 
tions or acquaintances ; enemies, as well as friends ; the evil and the un- 
thankful, as well as the good and grateful. It has no other measure than 
the love of God to us, Who gave His only begotten Son, and the love of 
our Saviour, Who laid down llis life for us, even while we were enemies. 
It reaches not only to the good of the soul but also to such assistance 
as may be necessary for the supply of the bodily wants of our fellow 
creatures. And the absolute necessity of practising this duty, is the 
very same with that of being Cliristians ; this being the only sure 
mark by which we may be known and distinguished from such as are 
not Christians, or disciples of Christ; by this shall all men know that 
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." 

In the second place, he considers the benefits and advan- 
tages arising from the i)ractice of this charity ; and this he 
does in a most stirring, home-reaching manner, not to say elo- 
quently, — not however forgetting to say, " I would not here be 
understood, as if I intended in the least to depreciate the mer- 
its of our Saviour's satisfaction for sin, or to substitute any 
works of charity we are capable of, instead of it. We can only 
obtain pardon at the hands of Grod, through Him Who is the 
true propitiation for our sins." 

He then considers some common objections to charitable con- 
tributions, which, he states, " may all well be supposed to arise 
from covetousness, or an unwillingness to part with the i)resent 
penny. Covetousness is indeed a Goliath, a giant of the first 
magnitude, which is always ready to defy and set at naught 
the best formed arguments and motives, drawn from reason or 
Scripture, all the armies of the living Grod." 

This Sermon was dedicated to the Trustees, and published 
in London, in a quarto pamphlet of twenty-eight pages. More 
subscriptions and donations were obtained soon after this, and 
the school appears to have gone into operation in 1751. 

On the 23d day of Aug. 17.32, Mr. Bacon preached another 
Sermon at his Church, in behalf of this school. This he also 
published, dedicating it to Lord Baltimore, but no copy has 
yet been procured by us. On the 23d of the December follow- 
ing, he sent it to Lord Baltimore, and to Bishop Wilson, in 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 441 

England, and in due time, he received most encouraging re- 
turns. 

Such was the consideration -which he had now obtained in 
the Church of the province, that, in writing to the Bishop of 
London, tlie venerable Mr. Adams, of Somerset, then in the 
forty-seventh year of his Rectorship there, speaks of Mr. Ba- 
con, as the fittest minister in the province, to be made his 
Lordship's Commissary ; but that he could not discharge the 
duties of that office, owing to the affliction under which he 
was permanently suifering. 

Keeping his philanthrojjic object constantly before him, in 
1753, Feb. 13, he purchased or procured a farm, of Mr. David 
Robinson, for the school, on which, subsequently, a brick 
building was erected. It was about a mile West of the Church, 
on the road leading therefrom to Oxford. 

In August of this year, there was a Convention of the Clergy 
of the Province, at*Annaj)olis, when, of the forty Clergy then 
in the parishes, fifteen were present. Of this Convention, Mr. 
Bacon was made the Secretary. During its sittings, he com- 
municated to that body, letters received by him from Lord 
Baltimore, and from his Secretary for Maryland. Mr. B., from 
a Committee to prepare a reply, thus expressed this one thing, 
among others, that we, as Missionaries of our Divine Master's 
Gospel, may be enabled to diffuse its sacred light among the 
savage nations, now involved in heathen darkness, till they all 
become one Fold, under one Shepherd ; keeping thus prominent 
and uppermost, their Missionary position in view. 

Not far from this time, Gov. Sharpe sent the following note 
to his Secretary, John Ridout, Esq., by whom it was forward- 
ed to Mr. Bacon : — 

"His Lorilsliip, [Frederick, Lord Baltimore,] desires bis best com- 
pliment.s aud service to tlie Rev. Mr. Tbomas Bacon, Rector of the 
Parisb of St. Peter's, in Talbot County, and desires he may be as- 
sured, that his Lordship will, ere long, send a testimony of his appro- 
bation and real good will, by money, for setting up and carrying the 
plan of the Charity Working School, to be setup in St. Peter's parish, 
into exe(!utiou, with respect to his and the Trustees' pious and cluvrit- 
able designs. I desire you would acknowledge his Lordship's and Mr. 
Secretary Calvert's receival of Mr. Bacon's letters to them, dated 
Dec. 23, 1752, of which acknowledgment will be sent them." 



442 licv. TJiomas Bacon. [Oct., 

Tlic testimony thus fore-sliadowed, at length came, and is as 
follows : it is from my Lord Baltimore's Secretary, and dated, 
5th Jan., 1754 :— 

" Sir : — I had not been so long delicient in the acknowledgment of 
your first, but by reason, the Governor was by my Lord advertised in 
relation to your request, viz., for the benefit of a Charity Working 
School, to be set up in the parish of St. Peter's, Talbot County. The 
Lord proprietor has directed me to inform you, he has perused and 
considered the general plan, with the proposals and rules relative to 
the School. The advantages that may arise from such a scheme 
give him happiness; the tendency being to promote religion and in- 
dustry among his tenants under his government. And as a peculiar 
mark of his favor and i)rotection, witli the means to forward so pious, 
humane, and public a benefit, he has given instruction to Mr. Edward 
Lloyd, his agent and receiver general, to pay into the hands of the 
treasurer of the School, by virtue of a note or order drawn on him, 
signed by the Trustees of the School elected, of which he desires you 
will inform them, viz., the sum of one hundred guineas sterling, [$466,] 
as- a free gift, to be laid out as you and the Trustees shall tliink most 
meet, and the sum of twenty (20) pounds a year [SSG.GO,] together 
with five pounds [S2i.66,J a year from Lady Baltimore, making the 
sum of twenty-five pounds a year, to be paid by two equal, half-yearly 
payments, to commence from the date of instruction, and so to con- 
tinue to be paid by the present agent, and all succeeding ones, unless 
his Lordship's hen-s or assigns, as proprietors, shall think fitting to 
signify to the contrary, with other reservations in reference to his Lord- 
ship's instructions to Mr. Edward Lloyd. 

Your request of the boys of the School, called nominal Baltimore 
boys, and by title from his Lordship, you have here his direction and 
leave, to stile them so ; and as an additional token of his favor and 
approbation, he sends you his thanks for your obliging dedication and 
edifving Sermon, preached on the occasion of the Charity School, at 
St. Peter's parish, 23d of Aug. 1752. 

Your true friend and humble servant, 

C.EOELS CALVERT. 

P. S. I have desired Mr. Lloyd, my Lord's agent and receiver gen- 
eral to pay, annually, five pounds sterling, for the benefit of the 
Charity School of St. Peter's parish, in Talbot County, in two half- 
yearly payments, to commence from the date of his Lordship's 
instruction relating thereto, and to be paid to the elected Trustees, by 
their note or order, on my account, which I desire you will advise 
them of, and which, witii pleasure, I desire their acceptance." 

In addition, thus, to the donation of $466, the annual sub- 
scriptions of the three amounted to near one hundred and 
thirty dollars. His tenants, sj^oken of in this letter, were the 



1865.] 



Be)^. TJiomas Bacon. 443 



freemen, so-called, of Lord Baltimore's province of Maryland. 
From the highest Government officer in it, who was the owner 
of land, down to the owner of a single acre, each one paid an 
annual quit-rent. None, indeed, held any land, but who paid 
him that rent. Save slaves and indented servants, all thus 
were tenants of Lord Baltimore, and he certainly showed true 
wisdom in doing as he now did, for the poor among them, to pro- 
mote religion and industry ; it was rightly seconding Mr. Ba- 
con's benevolent enterprise. And we are here reminded by it, 
that manual-labor Schools are no new thing ; there being one 
at least in Maryland, more than one hundred years ago. 

Two days after the date of the above letter, we have an ex- 
tract of one also, from Bishop Wilson to Mr. Bacon, dated, 
London, 10th Jan., 1754. He writes : — 

"As for the School, you will find the noble present of 100 guineas, 
by Lord Baltimore, besides c£20 from himself, and £5 from his lady, 
and d£5 from Mr. Calvert, [his private Secretary,] annually. So you 
see, by God's good blessing, the design flourishes, beyond what you 
ever thought. Go on briskly, get the house finished, and enlarge your 
views ; fear nothing. The reason I did not print and publish the ac- 
counts that are annexed to your Sermon, was this, — I thought they 
would come out with more eclat and figure, when the house was new 
finished, and when we could tell the world that Lord Baltimore was a 
patron of it. Furnish me, therefore, with everything necessary for a 
proper Appendix to your last Sermon. We must not multiply things 
of this kind, for the printing of such long accounts is very expensive, 
and it had better be done when the school house is near finished. In 
the mean time, you may publish how the design is going on, in your 
paper. Nothing will please me more, on this side the water, than 
pushing on that School, and making it a great thing. The 6650 for the 
instruction of negroes, may certainly be laid out in the purchasing a 
boy and girl, who may be taught and make useful servants for the 
School, and it is ready for you." 

We here see, how much pleased the good Bishop was, with 
the plan of his pupil, and how ready he was to lend him a help- 
ing hand, and cheer him onward. The unreserved manner in 
which he Avrites to Mr. Bacon, shows how free and fond was 
their intercourse. 

The next thing which we have to state now, is a note from 
Mr. Bacon, to his friend Callister, dated Talbot County, 13th 
May, 1755 :— 



444 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

"Sir, your company is recjuestecl, with the other Trustees, at the Char- 
ity School, on Saturday next, between the hours of 11 and 12, to receive 
the house from the builder, to agree with a master, and house-keeper, 
and to settle the children at their own habitation. 
Sir, your most obt. humble servant, 

THOMAS BACON." 

The School thus, had been elsewhere, before this ; but it 
was not the children's " own habitation." This was. The 
new house was now finished, and they were to be settled in it. 
It was a brick house, and is still standing. But about this 
time, he was called to encounter one of the severest afflictions 
which could well befall him. The wife of his youth, the com- 
panion of his pilgrimage, was taken away from him, by death. 
She, who had given up with him the home of their birth, crossed 
the perilous ocean, and settled in a strange land, walking hand 
in hand together in their journey, was now laid in the dust. 
Nor was this all ; in the following note to his friend, dated 
Easter Monday, 1756, are these words : — " I am much obliged 
for your kind communication of circumstances relating to the 
melancholy loss of my son \" " Dear little Jacky," as he was 
wont to be called, was also taken from him, and under circum- 
stances peculiarly distressing. It appears that he was lost at sea, 
probably on a voyage, in which he was returning to his family 
connections in England. The circumstances of his loss were 
not such but that hope remained. Mr. B., indeed, heard af- 
terwards, that he was not lost, but was still alive ; but what 
he heard thus, proved delusive. 

After a while we find that he had married another wife, one 
of his own parishioners. The time intervening between the 
death of the one and his marriage with the other, has not 
been found. She was the daughter of Col. Thomas Bozman, 
of Oxford Neck, and her name was Elizabeth. The next note 
which we have from him, to his friend Callister, is under date 
of " Dover, 17th March, 1757," and is this :— 

"Dear Sir : — An increase of fimiily necessarily induces an increase 
of wants. I have a parcel of garden ground, but neither spade to dig 
it with, nor seed to sow in it. If you have got any spades, let me 
have one per bearer, and a few seeds out of your stock. I'erliaiis a 
cheese may be had, necessary, as you know, on certain occasions. Pray 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 445 

let me have another bushel of salt, or my beef will spoil. I write to 
yon with the freedom of a friend, as I shall always stile you, tiiough, 
God knows, few are the friends I have now in the world. If you 
have any good news by your ship, on whose arrival I wisli you joy, 
please let me have a sketch of it ; if bad, keep it to yourself, for I 
have had no other for some time past, and begin to be heartily tired 
of it. I would not write to you on such a scrap of paper, if I had 
plenty, as formerly ; but the man without money or credit must do 
as lie can. Music has departed, and gone into another world, from me. 
The Laws are my only employment and amusement, yet they are a dry 
sort of stuff, and sometimes apt to stick in the throat. I have still a 
heart open to candor and friendship, which you will always find, wlien 
I shall at any time have the pleasure of assuring you in person, that I 
am, with great esteem, Dear Sir, your very affectionate, humble serv- 
ant, THOMAS BACON. 

A mingling of despondency and cheerfulness, it will be seen, 
pervades this note, which shows that his afflictions very greatly 
depressed him. This new location of his, being near where 
the fresh water met the salt, in the constantly recurring tides, 
was a bilious, sickly one, as he had found to his cost. And 
who, that has lived in such a position, can need reminding, 
how dark and discouraging everything around one looks, when 
the physical system is deranged from such a cause. And there 
is little doubt that he was now suffering from this cause, as 
well as from his chornic complaint, the hernia, from which he 
never was relieved. Of his peculiar circumstances at this time, 
we know nothing. But w^ith the living which he held, and the 
comfortable independence of his father-in-law, — being, besides. 
Lord Baltimore's domestic Chaplain, in Maryland, and the 
piety of which we have seen he gave such good proof, he could 
not long have continued to be cast dow-n. But he mentions 
here a new employment, which he had added to his parochial 
work, in its different departments in which we have seen him, 
namely, " the Laws." This turns our attention to that great 
work of his, which will cause him to be remembered, as long 
as Laws shall continue to exist in Maryland. 

The last edition of the Laws of the Province had been com- 
piled and published in 1727, by William Parks, printer to the 
Province, and the then publisher of a newspaper in Annapolis, — 
the earliest paper of wdiich we have any knowledge printed in 
Maryland, — and a part of one of its volumes is preserved in 

VOL. XVII. 38 



446 Rev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

tlie Historical Society Library. Some short time previous to 
Varks's i)ublication, which was a small folio volume, yet singu- 
larly inaccurate and defective, Lord Baltimore had had an edi- 
tion published in England, for the use of the Board of Com- 
missioners of Plantations ; of this, a copy is in possession of 
the Rev. Dr. Hawks, of New York. But previous to this 
edition of Lord Baltimore's, Mr. Bacon mentions an edition of 
1718, published by Andrew Bradford, in Philadelphia, and 
another, which was jmblished about 1707. These were the 
only editions which Mr. Bacon had seen. Mr. Chief Justice 
Trott, of the Province of South Carolina, however, in his Pre- 
.face to his "Laws of the British Plantations," jjublished in 
London, 1721, mentions an edition of the Laws of Maryland, 
of still older date, out of lohich an abridgment of the Laws of 
Maryland Avas published, in 1704. This edition, of older date, 
aj)pears to be the one, a copy of which is in the possession of 
the Hon. J. Bozman Kerr, of Talbot. The title page is gone, 
but it must have been published about 1700, as no Act of the 
Assembly is in it, subsequent to that date. 

But, subsequent to Parks's edition of 1727, for now near 
thirty years, the knowledge of Maryland Law could only be 
gained from the annual publications of the Acts of the Gen- 
eral Assembly, issued in their pamphlet form, many of which 
Acts had expired by their own limitations ; many others had 
been repealed, many amended, while many new ones had been 
every year enacted. All this subjected legal decisions, very 
often, to much uncertainty, and the Bar to much labor and 
perplexity. 

And another thing ; the General Assembly then, so far as 
Law enactments were concerned, were, to the Church of Eng- 
land, as the Episcopal Church of the Province was then called, 
what our Annual Convention now is ; and consequently, as all 
the Laws touching the rights and the support of the Clergy, 
the creation of parishes, or defining the powers and duties of 
Vestrymen, were made by the General Assembly ; and as 
these Laws, as well as others, were often repealed, or changed, 
or new ones substituted in their place, it became no less a want 
of the Church than of the Civil Courts, to have them in one 
body, and in an accessible form. 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 447 

In compiling such a work, Mr. Bacon was now engaged. 
And, as was the case with him in other enterprises for God 
and for his fellow-men, so here, he engaged in the work with 
his whole soul, and with unwearied industry and perseverance. 
He began with the first legislation in the Province, in 1638, 
and gave the titles of every Act which had been passed, hy 
each successive Assembly, for more than one hundred and 
twenty years. Those which were now in force, he inserted in 
full. It was not, however, to be accomplished by the labor of 
a few weeks ; it was the work of weary years and of intense 
labor. 

In the year 1758, Mr. Bacon gave up the parish of St. Pe- 
ter's in Talbot, which had for so long a period been the scene 
of his labors, and, on the death of its Rector, the Rev. Mr. 
Hunter, was transferred to All Saints parish, Frederick 
County. This parish was the best living in the Province ; be- 
ing held to be worth £1.000 sterling. And the giving it to 
him, showed something of the estimate in which he was held 
by Lord Baltimore's Government, who held the appointment, 
and by whom it was made. It certainly was no smalt compli- 
ment, when there such men in the Province as Cradock, Brog- 
den, Spencer, and others. 

Of Mr. Bacon's ministry in All Saints, owing to the loss of 
the parochial records, we have learned little. His parish, in 
territory and population, was indeed large, being all of what 
was then Frederick County, North of the big Seneca River, 
including what is now part of Montgomery, part of Carroll, 
and all of Frederick, Washington, and Alleghany Counties. 
The population, indeed, was mostly German ; but there were 
three places of Church of England Worship to be served ; the 
two of which most distant from each other, were near forty 
miles apart. But in his parish he was assisted by a curate, 
the Rev. George Goldie, who is said to have been very elo- 
quent, and very acceptable to the parishioners, and lived long 
after him, as the Rector of King and Queen Parish, St. Mary's 
County. 

In January of 1759, two years after the date of the note in 
which we found the first mention of the work he was employed 



448 Mev. Thomas Bacon. [Oct., 

in, Mr. Bacon had so far advanced with his compihition of the 
Laws, that he issued proposals lor the publication of the Vol- 
ume. But these proposals. Gov. Sharpe informs us, Jan. 28, 
17G1, in a letter to Lord Baltimore's Secretary, met with a 
cold reception. And this, it would appear, because he would 
not leave out the " Tonnage Law," so-called, and the Act of 
1704, for the sup})()rt of Government. 

There was a political party then existing, called Patriots, 
who denied that these Acts were now in force. To this Mr. B. 
dissented ; and by his enemies, — and, said Gov. Sharpe, 26th 
May, 1760, he has not a few, — every failing he had been guilty 
of was greatly exaggerated, and they threw every difficulty in 
the way of his publication. Mr. James Bisset, an Attorney at 
Law, of the Baltimore Bar, as we learn, seized upon this op- 
portunity, and published what ho called "an Abridgment, and 
Collection of the Acts of Assembly," in which the Acts re- 
ferred to, and the Preambles to all, not to mention other things, 
were left out, — in a small 8vo. volume, on bad paper, at a low 
price, from the i)ress of William Bradford, in Philadelphia, 
1759, which he dedicated to the then Attorney General, Ste- 
phen Bordley, Esq., one of the Patriot class. To this work, 
Mr. Bisset obtained 1100 subscribers ; thus setting aside, far 
as might be, any call for Mr. Bacon's work. 

From whence Mr. Bacon's personal enemies had arisen, is 
not difficult to be imagined. That he had been guilty of fail- 
ings, need not be denied. No man can claim exemption here ; 
and jfclitical ones are not the first to be forgiven. He was, as 
we have seen, personally identified with Lord Baltimore's Gov- 
ernment, and had been given the best parish in the Province, 
which was said then to be equal to the living of an English 
Bishopric. 

But though hindrances were thrown in the way, yet his pro- 
ject of publishing Avas not to be thwarted. Lord Baltimore, 
for this purpose, subscribed c€100 sterling, $444 ; Gov. Sharpe, 
£100 currency, $266 ; and nineteen others, which included 
the names of the two Dulanys, the two Charles Carrolls, Scott, 
Wallace, Thomas Johnson, Tasker, Chamberlaine, Lloyd, Cal- 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 449 

vert, Kidout, Brice, etc., £50 each. Nor were the Clergy and 
Vestries wanting in their patronage. This diflficulty, thus sur- 
mounted, did not at once, however, bring out the work. Most un- 
reasonable and unexpected delays occurred, in getting type and 
paper from London, and it was not imtii in 1765 that the vol- 
ume made its appearace. It was then published in Annapolis, 
in a folio, as is so well known, of the largest size, of 1,000 pages. 
The paper and the type were of uncommon excellence. And 
it may be questioned whether a nobler book to the eye, looking 
at the presentation copies, was ever issued from the American 
press. Whatever was the utility of this volume, at that time, 
to the Church, or to the civil community, as a body of Law, 
it has now, certainly, a yet higher value, as a historical work. 
It is the history of the progress of Maryland from its earliest 
days, not only as to its legislation, but of its civil and ecclesi- 
astical provisions, as enacted by the wisdom of its General 
Assembly, carrying us through a period of one hundred and 
thirty years. 

Mr. Bacon, as we have seen, left Talbot County, with his 
health greatly impaired ; and the conclusion of this, his last 
public work, did not find it improved. In July of 1767, Gov. 
Sharpe speaks of him, as advanced in years, and in declining 
health. He lingered on, however, till, in 1768, when, on Tues- 
day, the 24th of May, he died ; full of years, and liaving ac- 
complished much. He had exercised his ministry in Mary- 
land twenty-three years, and left memorials of it, as enduring 
as they are creditable to his name. And whether we look at 
him as the Chistian minister, or as an active philanthropist, 
or as the man of his day, we may well ask, is it right that 
he should be forgotten, and his name go down to the future 
unhonored ? 

At his death, he left behind him a widow and three daugh- 
ters, who appear to have soon returned to Talbot, and there to 
have resided. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, at the request of 
her uncle, Sir Anthony Bacon, of Glamorganshire, Wales, he 
having no children, went over and lived with him, and inher- 
ited from him £10,000 sterling. Before, however, Sir Antho- 
ny's death, she had married Geo. Price Watkins, of Brecon, in 

VOL. XVII. 38"'' 



4;30 Rev. Thomas Bacoii. [Oct., 

Wales, whose public cliurities .were so magniticeiitly endowed 
by him. He died without children ; but Mrs. W. lived till in 
1843. Rachel, the second dauj^hter, married Mr. Rizden 13oz- 
man Harwood, of Talbot County, and left, at her death, two 
daughters, now resident in Baltimore City. The other daugh- 
ter, Mary, married Mr. Moses Passapae, of Dorchester County. 
At her death, she left children there, and her descendants 
are said now to be resident there. 

Mr. Bacon thus left a family behind him ; and his published 
works yet remain, and long Avill, to tell us something of his 
story. But where is the Charity Working School of St. Pe- 
ter's, Talbot, which, in his day, enlisted so much interest in 
England, as well as in Maryland ? In A^jHI of 1787, the lands 
and buildings, which, for a considerable number of years, proba- 
bly from the time of the difficulties preceding the Eevolution, 
had not been used for the iHirj)Ose originally designed, were, as 
permitted by an Act of the Assembly, passed and conveyed, by 
the two surviving Trustees, to the Trustees of the poor of Talbot 
County ! for their occui^ancy and accommodation, and that is 
the purpose to which they are noAv devoted. While, therefore, 
they minister not now, to the religious, moral, or intellectual 
wants of those for whom they were originally intended, they 
minister to the physical Avants of that class of whom our Lord 
said, they shall always be with you. It is by Mr. Bacon's la- 
bors, thus, that the pockets of the tax payers in the County 
are relieved, in no inconsiderable degree, from what otherwise 
they would not be relieved, and he, consequently, this day, is 
contributing that much to the payment, annually, of the 
County expenses. May the day come, when they shall be re- 
stored to the high and holy purpose, for which, one hundred 
and ten years ago, they were solemnly set apart, by the otfer- 
ings and prayers of those whose bodies are now sleeping in the 
dust ; and, surely, the high-minded and honorable of that 
County will deem it no sacrifice. 

Mr. Bacon's humane, benevolent, and amiable deportment 
gained him the love and esteem of all his parishioners [of all 
denominations.] He was known to have been an aifectionate 
husband, a tender parent, a kind master, and a most agreeable 



1865.] Rev. Thomas Bacon. 451 

companion. All this rendered his death, not a loss to his ac- 
quaintances only, but to society in general. Viewed in respect 
to his public character, we find him assiduous, and sparing- 
neither pains nor cost to accomplish a public work, which has 
transmitted his name, with honor, to posterity. If we view 
him as a minister of a parish, we see in him a sincere Christ- 
ian, a diligent pastor, and an able dispenser of the Word ; for- 
getting not the ignorant, or the poor, and overlooking none. 
And, viewed as a neighbor, he was ready to advise, speedy to 
assist, compassionate and charitable. Such, thus, was the 
world's own testimony, when he was at length taken from it, 
and placed beyond its censures. 



I fr-Wi- .^? 



